Mercenary
by Leaden Myr
Summary: When Naruto gets back from his training with Jiraiya, his attitude has drastically changed. When the mystery grows deeper, Jiraiya begins to believe that doubt has been planted in his heart by a person unknown. And another Sharingan? NarutoTemari


**A/N:** What is up my friends! Well, I looked at my story and was dissatisfied with it all, so I decided to re-do it. Tell me what you think. Press the purple button on the right hand corner. THat's all.

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**Naruto: Mercenaries**

**By Leaden Myr**

**A CryptoPhage Production**

Scroll 1: Mirage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I could, I'd be fucking strong. LOL. And I take full credit for grossly plagiarizing the first part.

"The rules are the same as before. No matter how, try to get the bells from me," the silver haired jounin flatly stated in the grove of trees fenced off from the road. "You have until sunrise tomorrow."

The blonde genin scanned the area, taking in all the luscious greenery and the old memories that lay in this place. "I've missed it. This place."

"Yeah…" concurred the pink haired girl standing next to the blonde. "It's been a long time."

Their sensei raised a silver eyebrow in remembrance. "Ah yes, that's right," he calmly intoned, looking momentarily up from his book, Icha Icha Tactics. "This is where you first trained, isn't it?"

"As team seven," the pink haired girl breathed wistfully.

"Team seven…Fuck team seven!" the blonde half yelled, shaking head. "Who cares about team seven! We're still together, aren't we?"

"Are we?" Sakura whispered quietly, running a hand through her hair.

"That time…Sasuke was around, wasn't he?" Kakashi added.

"Hnnn…Sasuke…jerk...urgh…fuck." The blonde grunted. "Whatever."

His teammate wiped her eyes and sniffled.

_So, Sasuke's name is a big no-no for these two, huh?_ Thought Kakashi.

Breaking the uncomfortable silence, Kakashi interrupted the two ninja from their thoughts, snapping his book shut. "Shall we begin?"

"Wise choice, sensei. You'll need all of your strength, and more, for me, not to mention Sakura."

"Yeah, you haven't finished already, huh?"

"My instincts tell me that I should take this seriously. I'll go with them this time."

"Heh, no holds barred, you mean. If that's the case, then _eat this, bitch_!" Naruto grasped his wrist in his left hand, raw, blue chakra forming in the other. "Chakraha!"

A shockwave of chakra blasted from the blonde's hand. It was a vortex of destruction, blowing away anything in its path, heading straight for Kakashi. Kakashi, on the other hand did a quick kawarimi, only to appear a few moments later behind the genin's back, kunai pressed hard against his vest. "That _is_ a very destructive and powerful technique. I'm proud that you were able to pull that off. I'm very disappointed, though at your imminent lack of strategy. The fact is that this attack cannot be used forwardly against any opponent worth his salt."

"Why don't you stab me now? No holds barred, remember?"

"I can't kill you! You're my student, for one, and do you know what the Hokage would do to me…"

Kakashi said no more, as his kunai arm was twisted behind his back. He felt himself falling as a sharp kick to the groin did its work. He looked up, bleary eyed at the genin, who held a VERY large and imposing fuuma shuriken at his throat. "You're one to talk about strategy, sensei. I _expected you to do this!_ Before the match, I planted a kage bunshin behind me. That should explain itself. You've underestimated me again, sensei, and I resent it. I'll be taking my bell now. I'm going to sleep."

_Incredible. _Kakashi knew his fox-like student was strong, but never imagined he would be smart enough to think that many moves ahead. He just hoped Sakura had grown at least half as much.

"Heh. It's just you and me sensei."

"Let's go, Sakura!"

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Sakura's battle lasted until sunrise, but she got her bell eventually. 

Naruto didn't ask Sakura out. But what was weird was that he totally ignored her. _I'll have to look into that later. Oh, shit, I'm late to see Jiraiya._

"Eh heh. Um, kids, I have to go see Jiraiya. Bye!" Kakashi then disappeared in a cloud of leaves.

"Ooh, Kakashi-sensei's so dumb."

"Yeah, you got my vote there. Well, we have a big day tomorrow, so we've got to rest up. Anyways, I gotta go home. Love ya, Sakura-chan!"

"See you later, Naruto-kun."

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Kakashi and Jiraiya sat over a hot meal, discussing serious issues, ranging from girls to the Akatsuki." 

However, Jiraiya stuck to one subject in particular- the sharingan. Uchiha Itachi had appeared one day in the hokage's office, saying that there was a fourth sharingan user out there. Then he disappeared as mysteriously as he came.

"He said that the user was someone close to us, and him, yet an enemy, yet a friend to the enemy with a friend of the village. He said an old man had told him this and disappeared, much in the same fashion. The ANBU came a fraction too late to catch him. He probably would have been way too powerful for them anyway. Oh, and he said something about a mirage. With this, I made a suspect list."

"Who's on it?"

"Here it is: Number one: Yakushi Kabuto. He's a shifty little bastard who has a big secret and is doing a damn good job of holding it in. Number Two: Orochimaru. He may have transplanted Sasuke's eye, however unlikely. Number Three: Gaara of the Sand. We don't know him, but he's definitely a friend of Naruto, who definitely does have an enemy with him. That could also refer to Sasuke, who could have developed a friendship with Kabuto or Orochimaru. But the final one is the most intriguing of all. Number four: _Uchiha Shishui!_"

"What! Shishui is dead! That's how Itachi got the Mange Sharingan."

"Wrong. The sharingan user has to have to believe their best friend is dead. Not necessarily killing them. Shishui was like a fun, cool, older brother to Itachi, definitely a _great _friend of the village of that time. The most important thing is Uchiha Shishui's nickname. Shunshin no Shishui- "Shishui of the Mirage." This is most likely, since Shishui was an expert at Astral projection, and soul jutsus. He may have somehow survived Itachi's attack and laid low to this very day. The scariest thing is that he may be among us _and the Akatsuki_!"

Kakahi dropped his teacup.

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A/N:This is a total do-over. SAme concept, different format. Anyway, tell me what you like or dislike. Or tell me how lame my username is. JUST REVIEW! 

Leaden Myr


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